I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but I'm exhausted of searching through threads all over the internet.

My wife and I are looking to get our first boat. We're going to get a newer used I/O for a few reasons:

1. We don't want payments, this will be a cash purchase.
2. My family likes to fish (when not wakeboarding). I have fished from an inboard, it wasn't much fun
3. This is our first boat. I have to teach her, as well as others, how to drive it. (it's going to get a few dings).

What's the best way to weight one? Does anyone have pictures of an I/O being weighted or the wake their I/O produces? From what I've read so far, the best way to weight them is a 400+lbs sac near the bow of the boat and use the trim to clean up the wake. Does driving for an extended period of time with the trim slightly up damage anything?

I'm not looking to hear about how I should get an older inboard... I've already heard all about that.

Not sure how well an I/O will perform with additional weight. Unless you have a very large engine and propped correctly maybe. But keep in mind that inboards have larger engines and the prop is over 14" dia to provide lots of tourqu getting riders out of the water and planing quickly. Adding a lot of weight to an I/O with a small prop may be sluggish getting a rider out of the hole.

If you do add weight, I would suggest moving the weight to the bow. I/O suffer from more bow rise when accellerating, Inboards dont rise as much.

More than likely it'll be small. Around 18' with a 3.5 - 4.0L engine and stainless steel 3 blade prop (for now).

I don't think it'll be worth weighting it right off the bat.....why not bring a few extra friends and position them in different places.....3 friends can = 400#....then buy a sac after if makes any difference.

If I were you, I wouldn't even bother, the sack is gonna get in the way while your fishing!

I don't think it'll be worth weighting it right off the bat.....why not bring a few extra friends and position them in different places.....3 friends can = 400#....then buy a sac after if makes any difference.

If I were you, I wouldn't even bother, the sack is gonna get in the way while your fishing!

Good idea. Once I figure out where the best place is to have people sitting, I can put a sac there once they're gone. The sac's removable though, so it won't get in the way of fishing. (I know right, fishing is soooo lame)

You will need to re prop. You will have a hard time holding speed. So weight in bow, 19-22 mph, friends in front or ballast bag and you will have to trim up. Trim will be on a trial bases. you need a 4 blade or the best would be a High Five 19 pitch. But befor you go with a high five, you must make sure the engies will handle it.

My friend has an IO and we put over 2000 lbs in it. The wake got a little bigger but not much. I think we put about 60 percent of the weight towards the front. But with all that front weight driving is scary with how tippy the boat becomes. I wouldn't bother with extra weight.

My friend has an IO and we put over 2000 lbs in it. The wake got a little bigger but not much. I think we put about 60 percent of the weight towards the front. But with all that front weight driving is scary with how tippy the boat becomes. I wouldn't bother with extra weight.

2000 lbs? My goodness! Must've been a larger boat than what we're looking at. The weight capacity we've seen consistently for our type of boat is 1100-1300 lbs. We're really looking just to get any improvement on the stock wake. None of us are trying to become professionals and the kids that will ride with us will still be little for quite some time. But, if 2000lbs didn't get much of an improvement, I honestly doubt a measly 400lbs will do a bit of good. Good info to have. Thanks!

I used to have an I/O and had to teach my wife how to drive it. She likes driving our inboard better because its simpler to drive, she doesn't have to mess with the trim all the time. The only part that is harder is reversing.

I had a 350 lb sac in the bow and 350 lb sac in the ski locker. It was maxed out at that weight, if we had people on board I would have to let ballast out or it wouldn't get on plane. Even then it took forever to get on plane and it had a 5.0L.

Here is the wake from my old I/O. It was a 19 footer, 350 in the bow, 350 in the ski locker, PP stargazer set at 19.5 mph, rope around 50 ft. I wouldn't go smaller than a 5.0L if I were you.

I was able to get a decent shape out of it but you'll never get the firmness/pop of a true wakeboat wake. My old I/O wake felt like mush compared to my current wake.

When we got too close to the shore we couldn't back out easily (too shallow). The draft of the inboard we were on was a little too deep. On an I/O we just raise the trim way up and back out much easier.

Your I/O wake looks like it would be good enough for us. I'll have to experiment with positioning people before I get any sacs.

The boat is a 17.5 foot bayliner that has the standard engine and standard prop. We just adjusted the trim every time to help it plane and never had any problems getting it up. Only 2 people in the boat, we also pulled a tuber for filming... IO's do suck to drive versus inboards.

thats fn crazy. I have about 250 i the front of my sea ray 180 with a 3.0. i really like how it keeps the nose down and helps the wake some. its easy for some to say dont get this or that but for what i have into my boat and how we use it it works great.pulls anyone i have ever had out up no problem and it just sips the fuel. would i like bigger and better? sure but I dont think i would have any more fun than we do now.

thats fn crazy. I have about 250 i the front of my sea ray 180 with a 3.0. i really like how it keeps the nose down and helps the wake some. its easy for some to say dont get this or that but for what i have into my boat and how we use it it works great.pulls anyone i have ever had out up no problem and it just sips the fuel. would i like bigger and better? sure but I dont think i would have any more fun than we do now.

LOL, you are wrong. My previous boat was a Sea Ray 160 with the 3.0L. Being 16'9" (and had a new crate motor), it probably got up and went better than yours, especially since I had it propped for pulling and sacrificed top speed to do it. I had that boat running in tip-top shape. But our Malibu is SSSSOOOO much better, and we have a lot more fun on it. Do the same activities (wakeboard/slalom) + surfing now. We don't miss the Sea Ray even a little bit.

You can get a wakeboarder out of the water with a John Boat and 25HP outboard...that's easy. I had no issues getting on plane either. But the wake sucked ass, very hard to keep a steady speed, wasn't nearly as comfortable, awful storage space, constantly playing with the trim. Was a good first boat for someone straight out of college on a tight budget, but that's about it.

As for the OP, if you HAVE to have an I/O, get a V8. The 3.0L may sip gas, but it is gutless too. The 4.3L isn't a whole lot better.

LOL. I am sure your Malibu is a great boat but unlike most guys that like to walk around with there dong out, I don't think you need to spend $75 to $125 grand. To have fun and make memories with your family and friends on the water. So I will continue to enjoy my gutless collage budget boat. I am glad you had the opportunity to upgrade to a nicer boat. Have fun

LOL. I am sure your Malibu is a great boat but unlike most guys that like to walk around with there dong out, I don't think you need to spend $75 to $125 grand. To have fun and make memories with your family and friends on the water. So I will continue to enjoy my gutless collage budget boat. I am glad you had the opportunity to upgrade to a nicer boat. Have fun

Fact is, our Malibu is far more enjoyable than the old boat...it makes us want to take it out more. Having something that better suits your needs makes a difference. If I was on a tighter budget, I'd score a decent condition, late open bow direct drive. Too bad when I bought my first boat that wasn't a viable option.

thats fn crazy. I have about 250 i the front of my sea ray 180 with a 3.0. i really like how it keeps the nose down and helps the wake some. its easy for some to say dont get this or that but for what i have into my boat and how we use it it works great.pulls anyone i have ever had out up no problem and it just sips the fuel. would i like bigger and better? sure but I dont think i would have any more fun than we do now.

We're just looking to make memories and get the family out on the water. Glad to hear the 3.0L engines can get a rider out of the water! Does adjusting your trim when pulling someone damage anything after time? Or is it okay to have it tilted some when pulling a rider?

I will trim it all the way down on take off and then once the rider is up and I ack off the throttle i will trim up about 1/8th to 1/4. It depends on the rider. I won"t lie about holding speed. but onceyou have it down you can pull a rider between 17 -22 and the speed is pretty easy to keep there. I will trim up to the point the wake is washy then back down and it stays wash free on both sides. the trim never gets to a dangerous point.it will bounce the nose and you will hear it. but i rarely get the trim above 1/4 unless Im going for top speed. I have a 19pitch normal 3blade. i went from a 21 and it did make the boat much better for pulling and keping speed. I am no expert but if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

LOL. I am sure your Malibu is a great boat but unlike most guys that like to walk around with there dong out, I don't think you need to spend $75 to $125 grand. To have fun and make memories with your family and friends on the water. So I will continue to enjoy my gutless collage budget boat. I am glad you had the opportunity to upgrade to a nicer boat. Have fun

First off, thats a pretty harsh generalization about a lot of people on this forum. I don't think you need a $100k wake boat to have fun, but before you hop on the wake boat hate train.....have you ever spent a day in one? Driven one? The advantages over an I/O are unreal.

LOL. I am sure your Malibu is a great boat but unlike most guys that like to walk around with there dong out, I don't think you need to spend $75 to $125 grand. To have fun and make memories with your family and friends on the water. So I will continue to enjoy my gutless collage budget boat. I am glad you had the opportunity to upgrade to a nicer boat. Have fun

C'mon that's a ridiculous statement, we got our great condition v-drive for 13k. And as far as having more fun, how is a more versatile boat with much more room for friends and family not more fun?

I currently have a weighted I/O and it's been doing the job for me, but even with over 2000 lbs in it, the wake is still only as big as a stock v-drive at best. I do agree with others that said get a V8, the little motors will definitely struggle with enough weight to make a difference. I have a 20 footer with the 5.0 V8. My normal setup is 120lbs sand in each rear corner and 120lbs sand all the way forward under the front seat. Then I have about 600 lbs in sacs in the ski locker which goes from the driver seat forward. In also put a pair of 85 lb sacs on the front seat. With that setup, it takes a while to plane with my original 3 blade 19 pitch prop. I moved to a 4 blade 17 pitch and it's MUCH better. With this weight and trim up just a tad to clean up the lip, I get a decent but still pretty small wake. for me, that means trim up less than 1/8

If I want to go all out, I add another 500 lbs in the walkway and 400 in front of the rear seat. But then I'm back to struggling out of the hole.

I really think you are setting yourself up for a really tough time adding weight with a smaller motor. By the time you add enough weight to make a difference, you will have a tough time getting out of the hole even propped down. I know my boat is bigger/heavier than what you are talking about, but probably not by a whole lot.

That said, good luck with whatever you decide to do. I've had a great time with my IO, but can't wait till my Axis shows up in about another week.

i ran two 440 sacks in the belly of the boat (had a big ski locker type thing that fit them perfectly). also ran a merc hi-5 prop. with the tanks full the boat got on plane veryyyyyyyyyy slowly, but the wake was nice. it was a little to peaky for my liking but it did the job. recently sold it to upgrade to a v-drive though

My first boat was a 18' i/o with a 3.0L. Had a 400# bag in the ski locker, upgraded prop, whaletail or whatever those things are called on the leg, and a monster tower. Was an OK wake when we had 3 people out but if there was 5-6 adults and a 200# guy getting pulled it wouldn't even plane out. My buddy had a 4.3 v6 in his 19' i/o and it wasn't much better with a full crew of people. Playing with trim, speed, and weight distribution you can make a decent wake in almost any i/o boat. To answer your question, no it won't damage anything with the trim up.. you won't be up all the way, probably just a few clicks.

The toughest part of having an i/o.. its not trying to create a good wake, it's trying to get a good pull. I/o has a lot of bow rise, difficult to have a consistent speed, and often will fall off plane (esp if going less than 20mph, pulling your kids, etc... lower speeds on i/o usually are a horrible wake). It's not easier to drive.. you spend more time playing with throttle and messing with trim instead of concentrating on your rider and a straight line. Quite simply, they just SUCK to drive for watersports.

I don't think you can really grasp how much you will hate your I/O until you actually own one. I know you've 'heard it all before' but I'm sure just like me and many others on this site, we wished we would have bought the right boat the first time. I thought my i/o was going to be awesome but I wanted to sell it after 2 months of getting pissed off at it. If you are going to do 90% cruising/fishing and 10% watersports, buy your i/o. If it's the opposite, buy an inboard. You will thank us in a year.

I rode a Bryant 233 the other day, and it was awesome! I have been behind most of the flagship inboards on the market, and I was surprised when I got to ride this I/O.

The wake had a great shape, and was clean. I attached a couple of pictures of the wake!

The cool thing about Bryant is that the gas tank is located in the upper mid section of the boat to minimize bow rise. We had the mercruiser 350 and dual props, so this thing had no trouble planing. I/Os are harder to keep and maintain speed, but Perfect Pass works like a dream.

I will post a video of the boat in action as soon as the editing is complete.

I've got a 1992 20' Seaswirl with a 351 in It. I've run about 900 lbs lead in it for the past 3 summers as follows:
nose - 125ish
ski locker - 400
back seat and engine bay - 300
and 50 lbs to move around.

The wake is certainly bigger than what it was without the weight but most of the difference is in the firmness, which is much, much better. I run a four blade 15 pitch prop that works very well for us as i don't take it over 25mph very often. You'll need to consider your elevation and wot range before you buy a new prop though. There are a handful of i/o sites that have the "prop wizard" tool that will help. Stuey is spot on about the speed - I'm constantly fiddling with the throttle and with the extra weight anything under 19mph and it will want to lose plane. The boat handles the weight very well imo.

I've been very happy with this boat but if you're going for an i/o definitely get one with bench/stadium seats with the captains chairs rather than the back to back seating and seating on each side of the engine.... you'll be soooo pissed if you don't... just sayin.

That Bryant might make an okay wakeboard wake, but after you put a few must have options on it (tower, trailer, etc.), it's about a 70k boat. There are a number of wakeboats in that price range as well.

i have seen people with pontoons making ok wakes, not sure if its the weight of people and the shape of the pontoon. there are few people at the lake with pretty good wakes from the pontoons, ( i cant believe it, but they do) that would be a great fishing boat, they are cheap and there is room for weight and friends.

I have a 20ft '94 BlueWater Monte Carlo with an upgraded 350 motor in it. We have 3 250lb sacks mid ship (2 by the bench seat and one in the ski locker) and we usually go out with a full boat of 8 people including myself and usually have at least 2 people in the nose. With the weight and a half tank of gas or more it throws a pretty good wake for a i/o. I have ridden behind some Centurions and some friends of mine who are a bit better than i am say they like my wake better. It is maybe a little bit narrower than their wakes but with some tuning with the trim I can get the wake clean. I'm going out tomorrow afternoon so I can take pics